


Supernova

by DefinitelyAlmostHuman



Series: Fictober 2020 [5]
Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, this shit so sweet it will crack a tooth
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:54:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26853292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DefinitelyAlmostHuman/pseuds/DefinitelyAlmostHuman
Summary: Stern is feeling homesick, so Barclay decides to take him somewhere special.
Relationships: Barclay/Agent Stern (The Adventure Zone)
Series: Fictober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1954525
Comments: 6
Kudos: 22





	Supernova

"I really do miss home." The confession was sudden, but not surprising. Over the weeks that Stern had come to stay at Amnesty Lodge, Barclay had noticed that the other man was... well, wilting. Sure, the small town of Kepler was probably a far cry away from DC, but it seemed like it was more than just that. Something else was holding Stern down.  
  
Perhaps it was work. Barclay had been doing damage control, in a sense. Keeping Stern off their trail. Particularly his own trail, which was difficult to say the least. It was his job to distract, to keep Stern's prying eyes from discovering the truth. And Barclay had become quite good at it.  
  
Or, perhaps, it was more accurate to say that it had become less of a job, and more of an... unconventional friendship. Which made it feel less like a job where the lives of himself and everyone he cared about were hanging in the balance and more like... like some form of relationship. Friends, sure, but maybe even-  
  
Stern leaned closer to Barclay, eyes glazed over slightly with sadness. "Sorry, sorry I... I don't mean to dump on you, I just...  
  
Sometimes I do miss DC. With the investigation not going anywhere it's..." Stern sighed, not finishing the sentence.  
  
"Well, I know it's not the city, but Kepler has its strong points. It's not a bad place to live." Barclay nudged Stern slightly, prompting a soft smile from the other man. "Maybe you'll even come to like it."  
  
Stern scoffed a little. "Yeah, well, I can't grow too attached. I'm only here on business." He saddened once more, looking down at his hands. "It's hard not to get homesick."  
  
Barclay stared at Stern for a long time, contemplating his options, before finally standing and offering a hand. "Come with me."  
  
"What?" Stern lifted his hand but didn't quite give it over to Barclay.  
  
"Come with me. I want to show you something." Barclay’s eyes shined with a sort of childlike mischievousness.  
Stern's eyebrow rose and he bit his lip, but ultimately  
he gave his hand over, allowing Barclay to pull him up off the couch.

  


It was a short walk through the woods to get to the spot Barclay had all picked out. Sure, he didn't know the woods as well as, say, Duck Newton, but he had spent enough time in them to get around ok. Stern, on the other hand, was a mess. He was clumsy, always tripping over twigs and running into branches. Granted, sunset was not the best time to go on a hike through a dark forest--but it needed to be dark for Barclay's plan to be effective.  
  
"Not to be that person, Barclay, but are we almost there?" Stern's voice was heavy as he struggled to catch his breath.  
  
"Not to worry, secret agent man,” Barclay teased, “we'll get there soon enough. Look." Barclay pulled back some branches to reveal the perfect clearing, right there in front of them. Just as the moon rose overhead, the two stepped foot onto the grassy meadow, and the forest around them booming with life.  
  
Stern looked around in awe, his breathing still slightly shallow. "Wow. I had no idea there was a clearing like this in the forest."  
  
Barclay shrugged. "Local secret. But it's not about the meadow." Barclay sat down in the center of the clearing and patted the ground next to him.  
  
Stern hesitated, but walked over anyway, thankful he wasn't wearing his suit on that particular occasion--just jeans and a simple button up. "If it's not about the meadow, what is it about?"  
  
Barclay grinned and turned his attention to the sky, pointing up to where the stars were shining brilliantly. There were more than could possibly be counted--more than would ever be seen in the city--and they were everywhere. All around them, in perfect harmony. The sky was a peaceful and deep navy blue, and the crescent moon hung perfectly in the sky. It was unlike anything Stern had ever seen before--outside of a planetarium, that is.  
  
"Wow. It really is beautiful out here, I have to admit." Stern couldn't bring himself to tear his eyes away from the sight in front of them. The stars really did twinkle up there, some shining brighter than others but all beautiful in their own ways.  
  
"It really is. Sometimes you can even see shooting stars at night out here. Once you get closer to town, it gets a little muddled, but… Out here… Free from the bustling town and the street lights… it really is perfect." Barclay slowly leaned back, laying down on the soft grassy floor of the meadow.  
  
"You know shooting stars are just meteoroids, right? Falling down and burning up in the atmosphere." Stern finally tore his attention away from the sky to look down at Barclay.  
  
"You're no fun, Stern." Barclay pouted slightly.  
  
Stern chuckled. "I guess... Kepler isn't so bad. It's not DC, but... it does have some things DC doesn't." But he wasn't looking at the stars when he said that.  
  
No, not any more. He was looking directly at Barclay--right into those big, round eyes. He looked Barclay up and down and nervously bit his lip, meeting Barclay's eyes again and just... waiting. Waiting for Barclay to get it.  
  
Barclay slowly rose from his spot on the ground again, never once breaking eye contact with Stern as their faces got closer and closer.  
  
Stern cleared his throat. "Thank you. For cheering me up."  
  
Barclay half-smiled, focused on how close their lips were. He could feel the warmth of Stern's breath on his cheeks. "Hey, it's what I'm here for."  
  
Stern scoot closer, their legs touching and fingers intertwining on the grass. It happened so naturally--so organically. Barclay just couldn't bring himself to say no, even if everything was wrong. There was a rational part of his brain that screamed at him that he shouldn't--couldn't--be doing this, but he didn't want to listen. Bigfoot and an FBI agent? He knew it was insane. He knew it couldn't possibly work out. And he knew he could never, ever, tell Stern the truth.  
  
But he still let their lips collide. It was like magic. Stern's lips were soft and electric, sending jolts through Barclay's body from his head to his toes. Their mouths glide against each other with ease, like they belonged together. Like they had been separated for decades and had finally been reunited. Like they were made for each other. And Barclay's world exploded with color. His heart pounded out of his chest. His lips tingled. His breath was sharp and labored, in the best way. But the best feeling--the best of them all--was when Stern lifted a hand to tangle his fingers in Barclay's hair.  
  
Barclay wrapped his arms around Stern and pulled the other man closer, dipping him slightly to deepen the kiss--and Stern did nothing to stop the gesture. Instead, the two mutually broke for air, panting against the other's skin.  
  
"I didn't know you could kiss like that, Barclay." Stern smirked, still panting gently as he reached up and planted a kiss right on Barclay's nose.  
  
Barclay smiled, letting out a low chuckle. "I could say the same to you, Agent." And he forgot. He forgot all of it. Every logical reason why this couldn't work was shoved from his brain.  
  
All from a little kiss.  
  
Barclay couldn't care less. All he cared about was what was happening right in front of him. He couldn't deny his feelings for another second.  
  
And, it seemed, Stern couldn't either.  
  
"We skipped the part where we confess." Stern pointed out. "But I guess it's obvious now that I like you. Can I assume... that you feel the same?" Stern looked up at Barclay with so much hope. So much yearning.  
  
Barclay's heart stopped. The rational part of his brain rebooted. He didn't want to lie--he hated lying, but they couldn't... they would never work. Stern was hunting him. No, not just him. Stern was hunting everyone in the lodge. All of Barclay’s friends, everyone he cared about. They would never allow the two of them to be together! He just had to say one little lie. Two words. I don't.  
  
I don't.  
  
I don't.  
  
"I do."  
  
Stern's soft, pink lips parted into what was probably the biggest smile Barclay had ever seen. And for a moment it was confusing, that wasn't a normal reaction to getting rejected. It didn't take long for him to realize that he hadn't rejected Stern at all.  
  
But it didn't matter, because soon Stern's lips were on his again, and all rational thought left his body. Because it was just them. Just them and the trees and the moon and the stars. Glistening. Pulsing with the beating of their hearts as they entwined themselves in each other's perfect embrace.  
  
And for the first time in a long time, Barclay felt free.


End file.
